


She Murdered Him

by Cantatrice18



Category: Matilda - Roald Dahl, Matilda the Musical - Minchin/Kelly
Genre: Canon - Musical, Comfort/Angst, Extended Scene, Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 06:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15551982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: Matilda finally fits all the pieces together. The evil aunt. The tragic demise of the little girl's parents. She knows full well how this story ends. But no power on earth can prevent her from changing the narrative and keeping the one person who truly loves her safe from harm.Musical canon, some bits may be hard to understand for fans of the book or movie, but hopefully not too bad.





	She Murdered Him

"She murdered him!"

The knowledge entered Matilda in a rush, even as a tiny, distant part of her registered the sound of a woman's sobs. "Miss Trunchbull," she cried, understanding at once how the story, her story, was meant to end. The wicked aunt would go too far, would reveal her true cruelty to the world. But to do that she would need a victim - an innocent victim, whose trials and suffering had not lessened their sweet nature. For the aunt to get her due, a sacrifice must be made. An errant blow, a rag-doll body falling to the ground, a-- "No!"

Matilda's dream world shattered, broken apart by the force of her own voice. She was back in the ramshackle shed where Miss Honey, kind and generous and wonderful Miss Honey, had been forced to live. She heard the sobbing now, soft and choked as though it had been going on for a long time. Matilda dropped to her knees beside the little pallet bed where Miss Honey lay prostrate. "Miss Honey, are you ill? Are you hurt?" 

Bits of story flashed through her mind like a slideshow. Bruises, hidden under a school uniform. A thin birch cane, tapped wickedly against a massive, muscled thigh. A dark room, no bigger than a closet, where a child crouched, too frightened to scream. "Oh, Miss Honey," Matilda said softly, her voice distant in her own ears. "I am so, so sorry." Now that the story no longer existed solely in the recesses of her own mind, she felt sick to think of it. The horrors Miss Honey's family had been put through, between the acrobat's death and the escapologist's disappearance, and then the aunt... Emotions hammered at Matilda's chest, and with them the sure knowledge that she couldn't, wouldn't let the story end the way she'd foreseen. "I won't let her win," Matilda said, her hand gently resting on Miss Honey's shoulder.

Miss Honey jerked away and pushed herself up to a seated position, legs swept to one side. Her eyes were red from crying, and the fear in them was plain. "Matilda, you mustn't," she pleaded. "If you go up against her, you'll only get hurt."

"I won't let her win," Matilda repeated doggedly. "I can rewrite the ending, change the story."

"Story," Miss Honey echoed faintly. " Oh God, what was I thinking, speaking of this to you? You shouldn't know such things, you're such a child, a little girl."

"So were you," Matilda reminded her. An errant thought wandered through her mind and she felt her cheeks begin to flush. "Miss Honey..."

The young woman looked at her curiously. Matilda took a deep breath. "Miss Honey, did you, I mean, did she...?" The girl struggled to find words. "Tess of the D'urbervilles!" she cried at last, triumph in her voice. "Miss Honey, have you read it?"

Looking utterly bewildered, Miss Honey nodded. "Well then," said Matilda. "You know in Tess of the D'urbervilles, at the end of part one? Did she, I mean, did Miss Trunchbull...?"

She waited, hoping Miss Honey would understand the unspoken question. Miss Honey's expression went from confused to horrified. "No, never!" she insisted, face bright red with embarrassment. "She never saw me as enough of a person for that, I don't think."

Matilda smiled up at her teacher in relief. "That's something, anyway." Her brow furrowed once more. "But it doesn't change the fact that the Trunchbull took your house, made your life a misery, even killed your father." She grabbed Miss Honey's hands. "She wants to kill you, too. She's always wanted it, but now more than ever."

"I know," Miss Honey whispered. 

"We won't let her," Matilda insisted. "Not I, nor any of the other children. We love you. I love you."

The admission had come by accident, but the transformation was instantaneous. Miss Honey's face lit up as she pulled Matilda into her arms. "I love you too, you brilliant child."

"Then let me help you," Matilda begged. "Let me change your story."

Miss Honey sighed. "At this point I couldn't stop you if I tried. But do be careful, won't you? You don't know what she's capable of."

"On the contrary," said Matilda, "It is she who has no idea what I'm capable of."

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2017 at 30,000 feet on a transatlantic flight while sporting a 100° fever. Found on my international phone the next time I travelled abroad.


End file.
